WHAT: Art of Resistance, a conference of political artists
WHO: Ed Asner, Susan Platt, Sima Elizabeth Shefrin, George Hickey, Meg Novak, Daniel Kinney, Dan Cautrell, Beverly Naidus, Elaine Carol, Rob Zervina, Evan Hastings, Mike Toschi, Alina Miller, Meg McHutchison, Chris Vondrasek, Doug Honig, Deborah Lawrence, John Boylan, Arun Chandra, Audette Sophia, Delilah, and many more.
WHEN: May 14-15, 2005
WHERE: Capitol Hill Arts Center (1621 12th Avenue, Seattle). Some activities at the GLBT/Action NW Center (at 1115 E Pike St), and other venues.

[Announcement & program details below. -- NOTE from David Gilmour: "The premises of the Capitol Hill Arts Center are not huge (last year there were 200+ attendees). It will be a first-come first-served registration event with many workshops in smaller rooms and venues in the blocks around 1200-1600 12th St. East area of Capitol Hill above Broadway. Parking is going to be a chore and possibly an expense (Seattle-style expense being $5-10 per day in a nearby lot). A good idea would be to pool the drive. . . . If people have art they wish us to take, they should get in touch with me gilliemot@net-venture.com so I can take it up on Friday (May 13th) morning. A bio of essential details and addresses will be necessary for artists to register their work, and for tracking purposes when it's time to collect work on Sunday. I will do what I can to coordinate this for the Tacoma contingent. . . . There is going to be a conference fee ($30) and workshops will have a registration sign-up because of room capacities. This will make an early Saturday arrival essential for those who wish to attend workshops and seminars. Also, there will be a $10 or $20 donation for the Saturday night concert if that is all a person wishes to attend. . . . posters available soon. . . . The poster can be downloaded from the website www.riseup.net/artofresistance but it will drain most people's black cartridges."]

ART OF RESISTANCE IS BACK!

Art of Resistance, the Seattle political artists conference, returns for a second year. This time, we'll have the familiar mix of workshops, performance, music, and an open-call art exhibit and sale. But we're also adding a lot that's new. New workshop topics this year include community radio, belly dancing, political quilting, Hip Hop, and a lot more. We are very pleased to have as a guest speaker actor and longtime activist Ed Asner. Maybe most important, we're moving into town, onto Capitol Hill, with the excellent support of the Capitol Hill Arts Center and the GLBT/Action Northwest Center. The move should make us much more accessible than last year, and all are welcome to attend.

DETAILS

Location: The primary site is the Capitol Hill Arts Center (1621 12th Avenue, Seattle), with some activities happening at the GLBT/Action NW Center (at 1115 E Pike St), and other venues.

Time: On Saturday, May 14, the doors open at 8:30 a.m. for registration (at CHAC) and a coffee hour. Workshops start promptly at 9:30 a.m. and run until 5:00 p.m. Workshop sessions are 90 minutes unless otherwise specified. The outdoor theater piece, "SLEEPWALKING APOCALYPSE," runs from 6 pm to 7. Then, doors open at 7:00 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. program, "Music of Resistance," with a special guest appearance by Ed Asner. On Sunday, the doors open at 9:00 a.m., workshops start at 9:30 a.m. and run until 5:00 p.m.

Money: We are asking for a donation of $30 for the whole weekend, including the Saturday evening performance and Ed Asner. We have a sliding scale, and no one will be turned away for lack of money. For those who want to come to Saturday evening only, we are asking for a donation of $10 to $20.

Volunteering: We are looking for volunteers who can contribute any amount of time to the conference; even one hour helps. Anyone who commits 6 hours or more receives free conference registration. It's great way to get involved. Contact Laurel for more information: laurelalbina@gmail.com

Food: Again this year, light snacks and beverages are included in the conference registration.

Art Exhibit: We are welcoming submissions to the art exhibit. Participants must bring their work to CHAC between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 13. Artists are responsible for handling their own sales, but we will do our best to connect buyers with sellers.

Contact: For more information, call 206-359-1214, or visit the Web site, http://riseup.net/artofresistance/

Muraling: We'll be creating a mural at CHAC throughout the conference. Bring leftover paint and a brush or two if you have them, but most important, bring yourself, ready to participate.

Schedule: The workshop schedule below is pretty well final, but we suggest that you check the Web site and updates at the conference for last-minute changes.

Notes (please read): We suggest that you read through the workshops in advance, because several require that you bring certain objects or materials. Three of the skills workshops have very limited enrollment, and that will happen first-come first-served at Saturday morning's registration. Also, we suggest that you bring a notebook or journal and pen or pencil, and your own mug for beverages.

CRAM: Comic Retort Against Mediocracy, a book of politically charged comics, will be published in conjunction with the conference.

SATURDAY EVENING

The evening starts with SLEEPWALKING APOCALYPSE -- a free outdoor theater event at 6:00 p.m., outside the Capitol Hill Arts Center. Over thirty actors, dancers, musicians, and puppeteers will present SLEEPWALKING APOCALYPSE, an outdoor theater event exploring themes of fear, self-defense, homeland security and the troubled dreams of a people at war. Music, movement, visual art, masks, poetry and dialogue will be part of an interactive guided procession that will begin at Capitol Hill Arts Center and end in Cal Anderson Park. The performance will take place rain or shine.

That's followed by "Music of Resistance," an evening of music and spoken word. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Performers include Jim Page, Sons of Hagar, Grace and Savage, Danny Kelly, Cristina Orbe, Michael Bade & Joel Tepp and Jim Vick, with a special appearance by Ed Asner.

WORKSHOPS 9:30 a.m. Saturday

Artists Against Injustice -- Susan Platt
A slide presentation and historical discussion with feedback on the nature of political art, including contemporary art from the Middle East.

Stitching for Social Change; the Use of Fabric to Build a Better World -- Sima Elizabeth Shefrin
A slide show describing the way the fabric arts in particular have changed the course of history for the better. Examples covered include the arpilleras of Chile, the Names Project, the Ribbon around the Pentagon, the use of fabric in the women's peace camp at Greenham Common, the Life Quilt for Breast Cancer, and the Middle East Peace Quilt. Participants are asked to bring their favorite political t-shirts for discussion. vcn.bc.ca/quilt

How to Photograph a Street Protest -- George Hickey
How to document a street protest and tell the story as a photo essay. How to capture images suitable for publication. How to make images with artistic merit. How to deal with the police and photograph their behavior. How to pre-visualize images, anticipate image creating opportunities, and be positioned to capture them.

Hate Free Zone (nearly confirmed)
This workshop features a film about the post-9/11 backlash, followed by writing exercises in response to the film.

11:00 a.m. Saturday

Art Across Borders: Mexico -- Meg Novak, Daniel Kinney
A presentation about muraling as a part of the Zapatista movement, and international solidarity with that movement. Specifically describes a caravan of artists that will be traveling to Mexico this August to participate in the Art of Resistance conference there, as well as a muraling project in the South. We hope to educate artists about the history of muraling as a part of resistance movements, and also to encourage people to become a part of this project. http://www.babylonarts.org

Middle East Peace Quilt -- Sima Elizabeth Shefrin
A presentation by the artist/coordinator of the Middle East Peace Quilt. The Quilt is an international community art project done by over 300 people in answer to the question "What is your vision of peace in the Middle East?" The Quilt has been touring North America since 1999 and been displayed in 26 venues. Where it goes, Jews and Arabs or Jews and Christians and Muslims often come together to organize the exhibit. The project was done almost entirely without funding, and this presentation will show how can do a project of this magnitude without major grants. vcn.bc.ca/quilt

Linoleum Printing for Political and Social Change -- Dan Cautrell
Dan will exhibit some of his work, demonstrate linoleum printing, and conduct a workshop for participants to create their own politically or socially inspired linoleum print. The participants will be encouraged to create a print designed for reproduction purposes; posters, signs, T-shirts, fliers, etc. The works will also be collected and submitted to the JustSeeds organization for possible consideration for a new publication about political symbols. Note: workshop limited to 12 participants, first come, first served, according to order of registration at the conference. A $10 dollar fee will be collected at registration. Others are encouraged to watch, as space permits. This workshop runs through the lunch period, to 1:30 pm. www.dancautrellstudio.com

Hip Hop as a Culture, a Career and a Movement -- Project Mayhem
Explores the history, achievements, and intent of Hip Hop culture. It will also help Hip Hop artists learn to create and market their product independently and navigate inside the music business. The workshop is designed to facilitate development of the component musical skills of Hip Hop and build alliances within the community.

12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, lunch break

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Enriching the Compost: Defining a Diverse Cultural Ecology -- Beverly Naidus
A slide presentation and participatory discussion of the multiplicity of art strategies that need to be used in concert in order to create the critical mass or momentum for a sustainable, grass roots cultural movement. www.artsforchange.org

Working with Diverse Cultures and Ages When Creating and Producing Interdisciplinary, Political Performance -- Elaine Carol
MISCELLANEOUS Productions in Vancouver, BC, works with people from diverse cultures, youth age 14-27 and elders age 50 and older. Together they make unique, interdisciplinary, political performance, video and art that works to counter racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, classism and other forms of discrimination. This workshop explores the group's process of creation and production. Participants are requested to download and print the group's magazine at www.miscellaneous-inc.org/publications.htm before the session.

Rubylith Silkscreening -- Rob Zervina
Rob will conduct a hands-on silkscreening workshop that will include having students stretch their own screens as well as doing some actual printing. Note: the workshop is limited to 12 participants, first come, first served, according to order of registration at the conference. A $10 dollar fee will be collected at registration. Others are encouraged to watch, as space permits. This workshop runs for two sessions, three hours. Please have designs in mind before you come to the session.

Community Independent Media Activism -- Pepperspray Productions
Focuses on how to be an activist community-based media collective, with a showing of a number of short documentaries. Members of PepperSpray, a media collective, will answer questions on shooting in protest situations, the challenges and rewards of storytelling through video editing, and the issues raised by distributing their work as an anti-profit collective in a world of profit-obsessed Big Media.

3:00 p.m. Saturday

Theatre Tools for Transformation -- Evan Hastings
Engage in interactive theatre techniques for group building, social change, street protest use and anti-oppression situations. Participants will learn theatre games and structures they can adapt to use with various populations.

Music of Resistance in a Sea of Corporate Slime, Part II -- Mike Toschi
This session will create dialog around how music is and can be used to create and support issues of social, economic and environmental justice. The session will draw from participants' backgrounds, along with Mike's experiences in this realm over the last 20 years. www.globalseepej.org, www.atthespine.org

Working with Diverse Cultures and Ages When Creating and Producing Interdisciplinary, Political Performance (continues)

Rubylith Silkscreening (continues)

9:30 a.m. Sunday

Arpilleras: Chilean Tapestries Revealing Their Symbolic Message -- Alina Miller
Explores the history of arpilleras, which were cerate by a small group of women in reaction to a regime in Chile that murdered and tortured thousands of Chileans. Learn about why they were created and their success as an art form of resistance. Then experience the process of creating arpilleras first hand by using scrapes of fabric and threads to create symbolic politically charged arpilleras. Participants are asked to bring scrapes of fabric, thread, needles, scissors, but this is not required. (Two sessions, three hours) http://students.washington.edu/admiller/arpillera/index.htm

Embracing Our Becoming -- a collaborative art-making ritual involving poetry, painting and collage -- Meg McHutchison
This group workshop will invite participants to imagine the future they want to see.

Community Radio: Become the Media -- Chris Vondrasek
Chris is an independent producer for KBCS "Voices of Diversity" public affairs show. In this workshop he will take participants to KBCS (near Factoria in Bellevue) and introduce them to radio production, giving a glimpse at the possibilities. Participants will learn about some of the tools available to produce radio and other audio. They will see how a pre-produced public affairs story comes together from the recording in the field to the editing and preparation for airing or presentation. Note: this workshop is limited to 12 participants, first come, first served, according to order of registration at the conference (this is the maximum that will fit in the editing room). Participants will meet at CHAC Sunday morning to carpool to the radio station, departing at 9:15 promptly. The workshop runs for two sessions, with participants returning by 12:30.

11 a.m. Sunday

Artists and Censorship: Practical Advice for Activist Artists -- Doug Honig
Provides artists with information about how to cope with legal obstacles they may face in doing political art work. Doug Honig, Communications Director for the ACLU of Washington, will coordinate the workshop. Attorneys will be involved in the presentation. http://www.aclu-wa.org

Arpilleras: Chilean Tapestries Revealing Their Symbolic Message -- Alina Miller (continued)

Community Radio: Become the Media -- Chris Vondrasek (continued)

12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., Sunday, lunch break

1:00 p.m. Sunday

Agit-Prop Collage: Revolt With Scissors and Glue -- Deborah Lawrence
Deborah presents and shares methods of infesting visual artwork with subversive information. Includes hands-on fabrication of individual works of subversive art, with participants increasing their literacy regarding the corporate media's influence on consumers. Primary medium is collage: the appropriation of consumerist imagery for propaganda purposes. Bring magazines, scissors and glue. Deborah will donate additional materials. www.deedeeworks.com

What is Political Art, Revisited -- John Boylan
An open roundtable on the definition of political art: How is art political? How does ostensibly apolitical art become political? What does "political" mean in this context? Is political art a matter of playing inspiring music on the deck of the Titanic as it goes down? Or is it something a lot more?

Voices in Wartime
The film "Voices in Wartime" will be screened at this time. www.voicesinwartime.org/VoicesInWartime/Default.aspx

Teaching Through Performance -- Arun Chandra and the students of the class "Teaching Through Performance"
Explores American radical history as well as ideas concerning the design and organization of ideal societies.

2:30 p.m. Sunday

Creative Activism -- Audette Sophia Begins with a philosophical overview of holistic creative activism and gives a wide variety of examples. The workshop then offers experiential support in helping the participants clarify how this applies to them and helps them expand or evolve existing work, or start new projects. www.audettesophia.com

Reclaim the Arts, a history of art under attack -- Bat
The goal of this workshop is to spread information on the history of art, with politics and cultural laws throughout history trying to change art and stop it in different cultures. Gives a historical overview of art in cultures as educational, religious, and generational passing of knowledge and history.

Finding Empowerment Within the Body -- A Discussion with Delilah, world famous visionary belly dancer of local roots
Why in our culture has belly dancing (and good old fashion burlesque for that matter) risen in popularity with women since 9/11? Contrary to what you might be thinking, it's not about making their husband a sultan. Women's power looks and feels different than men's, and women desire to know it and define it in their own terms. They want to use it for world peace, to save the earth, feed the hungry, and find a cure. It is after all the dance of the GREAT MOTHER. www.visionarydance.com

Open Mic Poetry Reading

4:00 p.m. Sunday

Closing -- Resistance is Fertile -- Hands of Kali Belly Dance Troupe
This performance will move through expressing rage and hope through belly dance. It will showcase belly dancing as a beautiful aspect of an ancient culture that has been not only bastardized by religious zealots in the Middle East but also demonized by political zealots in the U.S. It will also show how powerful, cathartic, inspiring, and essential dance is to any culture. The performance will be followed by a brief basic belly dance lesson for everyone (men and women) to show how to express oneself through dance. www.handsofkali.com

Open Studio

The skills workshop will be open for creativity: collage, painting, and other activities.